Help for a complete newbie

[Badfish_TX]

I just took over an established 220G tank and I've got a laundry list of issues.



1) Nitrate and phosphate levels - I don't think I'm overfeeding but I can't keep my levels low. I do 20% water changes weekly, but plan on getting another bin so I can do a 40% change soon. I added microalgae to the refugium and added Chemi-pure elite carbon bags. Nitrates are going down slightly but phosphates are through the roof. Phosphate Rx treatment hasn't worked either. I've looked for a dead fish since I wasn't sure how many were actually in the tank when I moved in but I don't see anything. I cleaned out the auto top off tank and replaced the tubing since it was pretty dirty but that didn't help. I'm tinkering with the protein skimmer, but after watching videos I'm really confused. It seems like the bubbles should be flowing over into the collection cup but my skimmer either bubbles halfway up or completely overflows with a 1mm adjustment to the knob.

I have Salifert test kits and if I'm using them correctly everything else seems to be within normal range.

2) Yellow tang aggression - I didn't notice the aggression in the first month at the house so I'm sure it's something I've done. The yellow tang constantly harasses the purple tang and it's showing stress discoloration and damage to it's fins. I've tried feeding in separate areas of the tank, placing a mirror, and adjusting the daylight time in the tank(which was a whole other nightmare bc I reset the spectrum on accident and almost killed the coral). Rearranging the rocks would be a difficult task and I'm afraid I'd kill all the coral. The refugium is full of live rock so there's no room to temporarily relocate. I'm thinking about removing the yellow tang but I have no idea who to sell/donate it to, would my LFS take it?

I don't know how ya'll do this, I feel like everything I do is 3 steps backwards. Really appreciate any help.

 

[unchaotic]

Phosphates are often from a food source. Are you feeding lots of nori? Certain coral foods, like Reef Roids are also very high in phophates. So you might need to look into what you're feeding and make adjustments. In my experience, they are pretty hard to bring down compared to nitrates so you may need to do some research on GFO reactors and consider plumbing one in.

What is your water source? Are you using RODI and, if so, have you tested it for nutrient levels? I don't use a skimmer so maybe someone else will have some info for you on that.

Considering their new-found value you shouldn't have too much trouble re-homing the yellow tang, if that is what you choose to do. If you could find a way to divide your tank with some eggcrate for a while that might help but obviously there are no guarantees. Hopefully someone else will chime in with some better ideas for you.

 

[tharbin]

You say your levels are high. Posting the actual numbers will help people help you.

What issue are you actually trying to solve? Nitrate/Phosphate and any other water parameter except ammonia are just general guidelines. You may actually be starving your fish causing the aggression in trying to solve a phosphate issue. Tangs graze constantly crashing the phosphate may crash their primary food source. What were you seeing in the tank that caused to go after the phosphate level?

20% weekly water changes are pretty aggressive and generally not needed. 10% is usually adequate. Watch the tank more than videos. You have a well established tank that was obviously running well and had an equilibrium. Don't crash it to chase numbers.

Also, stay away from chemicals unless the original owner was already dosing them. They should be used as a last resort.

 

[Badfish_TX]

Phosphates are often from a food source. Are you feeding lots of nori? Certain coral foods, like Reef Roids are also very high in phophates. So you might need to look into what you're feeding and make adjustments. In my experience, they are pretty hard to bring down compared to nitrates so you may need to do some research on GFO reactors and consider plumbing one in.

What is your water source? Are you using RODI and, if so, have you tested it for nutrient levels? I don't use a skimmer so maybe someone else will have some info for you on that.

Considering their new-found value you shouldn't have too much trouble re-homing the yellow tang, if that is what you choose to do. If you could find a way to divide your tank with some eggcrate for a while that might help but obviously there are no guarantees. Hopefully someone else will chime in with some better ideas for you.

I alternate with LRS Reef Frenzy, Thera A+, and nori for feeding. I use Red Sea AB+ for the coral. I didn't realize nori was higher in phosphate, maybe that's a culprit.
I have a 4-stage RODI for water supply that seems to keep TDS at 0ppm. I've only tested the salinity, pH, KH and phosphate in my new water, I'll start testing everything before I add now.

Hadn't heard about using egg crate, I'll definitely look into that.

Thanks so much!

 

[Badfish_TX]

You say your levels are high. Posting the actual numbers will help people help you.

What issue are you actually trying to solve? Nitrate/Phosphate and any other water parameter except ammonia are just general guidelines. You may actually be starving your fish causing the aggression in trying to solve a phosphate issue. Tangs graze constantly crashing the phosphate may crash their primary food source. What were you seeing in the tank that caused to go after the phosphate level?

20% weekly water changes are pretty aggressive and generally not needed. 10% is usually adequate. Watch the tank more than videos. You have a well established tank that was obviously running well and had an equilibrium. Don't crash it to chase numbers.

Also, stay away from chemicals unless the original owner was already dosing them. They should be used as a last resort.

Sorry I should have posted actual numbers. My nitrate is from 25-50ppm. My phosphate hovers from 0.5-1ppm based on the Salifert test which is kind of hard to gauge. I have no idea what parameters the previous owner was keeping, I only know what everything was at when my testing supplies came in 2 weeks later. I was just using a BRS chart I found that suggested that was high. The previous owner was doing a 40% water change every 2 weeks, but I don't have the capacity to do that until I get another bin so I thought 20% a week would be similar. I'll give 10% a try, how much of a nitrate drop should I expect from a water change?

I'll definitely lay off the chemicals and see if things even out after my overreactions.
Really appreciate the help, I definitely think I need to take a less aggressive approach. I'm just way out of my league with this.

 

[mdb_talon]

Water changes are fine and can be useful for diluting toxins, replenishing elements, etc. When it comes to reducing nutrients i personally think their impact is overstated. If you are adding more nutrients than your tank exports then over time those WC just cant keep up.

If nitrate increases by 10 a week for example. 10% change gets them to 9. Next week they are 19. 10% change gets them to ~17, etc. They are great if you had a one time event increase the levels high and you need a "reset", but not a substitute for balancing the import/export of nutrients. I would look towards higher export(carbon dosing, refugiums, algae scrubbers, etc).

 

[Tray21]

How long ago did you add the chemipure and how much are you using? If its been a while it could be exhausted and need to be replaced.

 

[tharbin]

Sorry I should have posted actual numbers. My nitrate is from 25-50ppm. My phosphate hovers from 0.5-1ppm based on the Salifert test which is kind of hard to gauge. I have no idea what parameters the previous owner was keeping, I only know what everything was at when my testing supplies came in 2 weeks later. I was just using a BRS chart I found that suggested that was high. The previous owner was doing a 40% water change every 2 weeks, but I don't have the capacity to do that until I get another bin so I thought 20% a week would be similar. I'll give 10% a try, how much of a nitrate drop should I expect from a water change?

I'll definitely lay off the chemicals and see if things even out after my overreactions.
Really appreciate the help, I definitely think I need to take a less aggressive approach. I'm just way out of my league with this.

Your Nitrate and Phosphate are highish but not crazy. If you don't see any cyano or nuisance algae I would not sweat those numbers too much yet. Better to spend your time getting to know the tank and its inhabitants.

20% is fine if the previous owner was doing 40% every other week. I agree it doesn't help a lot with nutrient export but it does go a long way toward keeping your ALK/CA and trace elements in balance. Especially while you are learning. I would recommend that anyone starting out do at least 10% weekly water changes.

If the protein skimmer had been working with the previous owner that may be all you need to do to get the tank dialed in. Post the skimmer type and maybe someone with a similar skimmer can help walk you through it. Basically the bubbles should climb the neck of the tube and break at the surface or a little above of the tube inside the collection chamber. They will make more or less skimmate depending on changes in the tank like organic accumulations, using epoxy, even feeding. The idea is to get it so that it is skimming at all and then dial it in until it averages a nice dark skimmate collection.

 

[G Santana]

I just took over an established 220G tank and I've got a laundry list of issues.



1) Nitrate and phosphate levels - I don't think I'm overfeeding but I can't keep my levels low. I do 20% water changes weekly, but plan on getting another bin so I can do a 40% change soon. I added microalgae to the refugium and added Chemi-pure elite carbon bags. Nitrates are going down slightly but phosphates are through the roof. Phosphate Rx treatment hasn't worked either. I've looked for a dead fish since I wasn't sure how many were actually in the tank when I moved in but I don't see anything. I cleaned out the auto top off tank and replaced the tubing since it was pretty dirty but that didn't help. I'm tinkering with the protein skimmer, but after watching videos I'm really confused. It seems like the bubbles should be flowing over into the collection cup but my skimmer either bubbles halfway up or completely overflows with a 1mm adjustment to the knob.

I have Salifert test kits and if I'm using them correctly everything else seems to be within normal range.

2) Yellow tang aggression - I didn't notice the aggression in the first month at the house so I'm sure it's something I've done. The yellow tang constantly harasses the purple tang and it's showing stress discoloration and damage to it's fins. I've tried feeding in separate areas of the tank, placing a mirror, and adjusting the daylight time in the tank(which was a whole other nightmare bc I reset the spectrum on accident and almost killed the coral). Rearranging the rocks would be a difficult task and I'm afraid I'd kill all the coral. The refugium is full of live rock so there's no room to temporarily relocate. I'm thinking about removing the yellow tang but I have no idea who to sell/donate it to, would my LFS take it?

I don't know how ya'll do this, I feel like everything I do is 3 steps backwards. Really appreciate any help.

I had trouble with my tank recently with nitrates, I don't do water changes, feed lightly and when I got my Hanna Nitrate tester, I was blown away at just how high it was.
I looked into dosing Vodka and over 12 weeks I was able to get it from 48 to 8.5 as of Monday.
Something to consider, it works but it is the slow and steady approach.

 

[Badfish_TX]

First off, you guys are awesome. Thanks for the help.

How long ago did you add the chemipure and how much are you using? If its been a while it could be exhausted and need to be replaced.

I added 3 11.75oz. Chemi-pure Elite bags on 2/19. I noticed a drop in nitrate immediately but the phosphate resin didn't seem to do anything at all.

Your Nitrate and Phosphate are highish but not crazy. If you don't see any cyano or nuisance algae I would not sweat those numbers too much yet. Better to spend your time getting to know the tank and its inhabitants.

If the protein skimmer had been working with the previous owner that may be all you need to do to get the tank dialed in. Post the skimmer type and maybe someone with a similar skimmer can help walk you through it....

It's a 220 Reef Octopus, I think I've got it as close as possible based on your description. I have noticed some red spots in the refugium that I hope isn't cyano, I'll take some pictures when I get off work.

I had trouble with my tank recently with nitrates, I don't do water changes, feed lightly and when I got my Hanna Nitrate tester, I was blown away at just how high it was.
I looked into dosing Vodka and over 12 weeks I was able to get it from 48 to 8.5 as of Monday.
Something to consider, it works but it is the slow and steady approach.

I had no idea you could use vodka, yet another rabbit hole for me to travel down.

Great advice all around, I wish I knew the original parameters so I knew how far I've strayed. I guess I'll give it a while longer and then look into scrubbers or GFO if it's still an issue.
I noticed today that my GSP is curling up and snails have started to climb to the top of the tank. Is this due to the water quality as well? I'll include photos of the GSP this afternoon too.

 

[Badfish_TX]

Ok so here are the red spots in the refugium and the curling GSP. Snails are still running for the hills as well.

 

[unchaotic]

Looks like corraline growth. And I wouldn't worry too much about the GSP. When it acts up just watch for other corals to have issues before assuming something is wrong.

The GSP in my office aquarium tends to curl too. My only anecdotal explanation for that would be that it's in a fairly high flow area.

 

[Badfish_TX]

Whew, thanks. Everything else seems to be okay which is why I was surprised with the GSP. I thought if it was having issues everything else would go downhill too.

 

[gbroadbridge]

I had no idea you could use vodka, yet another rabbit hole for me to travel down.

White Vinegar alone works pretty well for nitrate reduction.
Save the Vodka for yourself when you get it all sorted out

Use GFO for phosphate control.

Chemipure is just GFO and Carbon and it's a lot easier to use the two separately - cheaper too.